Wingless
by MyNameIsCAL
Summary: Fang gives up his wings to save the flock, but Dylan also proves himself hero as he helps to rescue Fang. Dylan tries to win an emotionally distressed Max over. Will Fang be able to help Max cope with his injury, or will he lose himself in his own pain?
1. Chapter 1

**Wingless – Chapter 1**

By MyNameIsCAL

**Dylan's in the story, but this doesn't really take place after a book, per se. Some events that took place in **_**Fang**_** and before that book will probably be referenced, but Fang hasn't left and isn't leaving. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

-Fang's POV-

"Fang…"

My name slipped through Max's lips, which were quavering now. I felt her take my hand, her teary eyes now meeting mine.

"Fang…" But she couldn't get the words out, so instead, she squeezed my hand.

"Max, it's okay," I managed to say.

That was when she finally broke down, slouching into the hospital bed next to me. I let her weep against me, wishing there had been a better way to save all of them. No matter what I thought of telling her, I knew it wouldn't be enough for comfort, that for the rest of her life she would blame herself for what happened to me. But I would be okay, I promised myself that. It was my choice, and it was the only way I could save everyone. Time healed all wounds, or so they say, but I would have given up my life for the flock.

"It's not okay, Fang." She breathed out, and I pulled her closer, but she only began to sob harder. "It should have been me, not you."

"Don't say that." I closed my eyes, resting my chin on her shoulder. "We're all alive, and we're going to be okay."

She knew I was right, but it would be a long time before she felt the same way about it. I closed my eyes, fighting my own tears now.

"I'll get you out of here soon," she sniffled. "I'm sorry, Fang."

I held her until she cried herself to sleep, my own tears streaming down my face, but I couldn't let her see me cry, I just couldn't.

* * *

I took my first steps out of the hospital with Max holding my hand. We were heading off to our old place, something that I guess had been one of the few places we ever called home. There was a minivan waiting for us in the parking lot, Dr. M in the driver's seat with Ella next to her. The flock filed out, slowly, and I suddenly felt this was like a funeral procession instead of a joyous reunion that we were all alive. Dylan came out last, and I had almost forgotten he stuck around.

I felt weak, suddenly, and Max gripped my arm, concern growing across her exhausted face. Angel came up to me first, wrapping her arms around me.

_I'm really sorry, Fang. But we're all glad you're okay. We owe you our lives, and more_. She was speaking for everyone without saying anything.

Iggy clapped me over the shoulder as I got into the back with Max's help. Mom asked me how I was feeling, and I muttered a response. The ride was about a two hour drive since we had to go up the mountain. To my dismay, Dylan sat on the opposite side of Max.

"Why didn't the rest of you just fly up?" I asked.

"We thought…we thought it would bother you," Nudge answered.

"It's okay, really." I let out a breath.

It had been a week ago since all of this happened. Jeb had us cornered and locked up. He had taken her and we were going to get her back, but Jeb knew we would come for her, so he set up an ambush. Then he offered us a deal. He'd let the others go if I gave myself up. Jeb was going to kill me, slowly and painfully. After he had injected Dylan into the flock, he was determined to get Max to fall for him, but Max stood her ground with me. Jeb kept his word and let them all go. If it hadn't been just me, it would have been everyone else too, and then Max would have found herself in a worse place, alone and probably stuck with Dylan.

But Dylan was the reason I was alive too, as much as I loathed him. He was the one that got back in and helped Max and the others rescue me before Jeb could do anymore damage. They had just made it in time to stop me from bleeding out, but of course the damage was irreversible. I would never fly again. Not on my own anyway.

I still remember all the blood. Jeb probably would have let me drown in it. I shivered, squeezing Max's hand, pushing the memory away/

"Fang?" Max rested her head against my shoulder. "What do you want for dinner? Iggy said he would cook something. We're going to stop at the grocery store."

"Whatever you want to eat," I told her. "Just…Something nice."

The car ride remained silent. Max and Angel sat in the car with me when the rest went to food shopping. Angel, no doubt, was reading through all my thoughts, and perhaps maybe it was better so she could tell the others to keep their mouths shut, to tell them that I didn't want them to feel sorry for me.

"Dylan's coming back." Angel sat up, craning her head to look out the window. "He and Iggy had an argument."

Max let out a sigh. "We all just need to go home."

Dylan got into the car, but Angel initiated conversation with him, and they exchanged words until the others came back. I closed my eyes, letting the car lull me to sleep.

* * *

I lay in bed. My bed. It felt good to be here, to feel a little at peace even though I knew Jeb was still out there. He was weak though, and flustered now that Dylan was supposedly on our side. I was weary of trusting Dylan, especially since Jeb told us that he was _made_ to be for Max.

Dinner went smoothly. Everyone was slowly shifting back to being themselves. Nudge was talking, Gazzy was cracking jokes, and cooking seemed to loosen Iggy up. They were all watching TV now except for Max and Dylan. The two of them were conversing outside my door, and I wondered if Max had intentionally stopped there to talk so I could hear them.

"Let me help you, Max," Dylan was insisting. "It's going to be hard seeing him like that."

"The last person he wants to let in is you, Dylan." Max sounded exasperated. "I don't want to lose him. I don't know what's really going through his head. You don't just cut off someone's arm and expect them to heal and move on."

"I just…I'm just trying to fit in." He let out a sigh. "You're right, this isn't the best way to help."

"Well, look, if I need something, I'll let you know, okay?" Max was just trying to make him feel better now.

"Okay, yeah, let me know." I heard his footsteps disappear down the hall as Max entered.

"Doctor says we gotta clean around your stitches. He said there might be some bleeding and he doesn't want it to get infected, but you know, the wound should be all better in a few days." She shifted her weight.

I rose out of bed, wincing at the pain. It seemed on and off, probably due to the effects of the medication wearing off. If I closed my eyes, I swear I could still feel them there, but I tried not to think too much about them. She took my hand, leading me down the hall to the bathroom. I sat on top of the toilet, unbuttoning my shirt. I wasn't really supposed to be lifting my arms, so no t-shirts for me for a while.

"Max, if this makes you uncomfortable, maybe you should have someone else do it," I said.

She shook her head. "It's going to be me. It's better this way."

I nodded and pulled off my shirt, wincing at the cold of the bathroom. She took in a sharp breath, and I tried to catch her expression in the mirror to my side, but she angled herself to hide her face. I felt her pull off the old bandages. She let them fall into the garbage before grabbing a clean cloth.

"This might sting." She gulped, dampening it with the disinfectant. It reminded me of the hospital, the smell.

Silence seemed to ring as Max worked slowly. She was holding her breath, and I wished I could have turned around and pulled her into a hug. After what seemed like hours later, Max covered it with new bandages, telling me to put my shirt back on.

"Let me just—just was my hands."

I nodded, buttoning my shirt.

She dried her hands. "Alright, guess you're done now."

I pulled her into an embrace and she buried her face into my chest.

"Thank you, Max," I whispered. "I know this is hard on you. But I'm going to be okay. You're going to be okay too."

She shook her head.

"Max…" I let out a sigh, pulling her closer. "We're all here and alive. We always find a way to survive and to keep moving forward."

"I don't want you to feel like you're going to be left behind," she whimpered, clutching onto the back of my shirt.

"I know you won't let that happen." I kissed the top of her head. "Max, I love you, and so whatever you've been worrying about, whatever you're afraid of that might happen. You should just let go."

She let go of my shirt, arms now resting around me. "I—I love you too, Fang."

* * *

**Well, this is my new story. As you can see, I've not done much work on my other ones, but I haven't forgotten about them! Anyway, I'll update something soon. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wingless – Chapter 2**

By MyNameIsCAL

Mom and Ella stuck around for a few days, thankfully keeping everyone occupied. My back ached, but according to Max there were only scars now. The doctor told me that after a while, the only way to overcome the pain was to move on, and I got the feeling that this was something I wasn't going to be able to kick right away.

I sat on the roof, watching the clouds go by slowly in the distance, my legs dangling from the edge of the roof. I could see Mom's minivan below, and I wondered how far it would be from here to there. It would have been so easy just to push off from the ledge, to let myself fall, dance with thrill for a few short seconds. I missed it already, being able to do that, the wind and the thin air.

"Fang?"

I didn't have to turn around to know it was Max. She sat beside me, weary eyed. I drew my arm around her, and she rested against me, eyes closed. She had been doing a lot of crying. The two of us had barely gotten any sleep. I wished there was more I could do for her, but she was crying for me, and there was little I could do, no matter how many times I told her I was going to be okay, she would never be convinced, and quite honestly, I was starting to feel like I was lying to myself.

"What's up?" I asked, kissing her forehead.

Max didn't answer for a long time. "Why are you torturing yourself?"

I frowned. "What makes you say that, Max?"

She shook her head. "Dylan won't leave me alone about you. He keeps saying that you should stop torturing yourself by sitting up here."

Dylan. He thought he could make things better all by himself, win Max over by trying to tell her how much trouble I was and how it was only going to get worse. It took a lot out of me not to want to bash his head in. The flock didn't stand for violence unless we needed it, and I knew that even I wouldn't stand for senseless beating, yet I could feel my blood boil when I thought about him, trying to take Max from me. Sure, Max and I had our rough patches, but I told myself that I wasn't going to screw things up anymore. This wasn't a game anymore.

But I couldn't let Max know about my insecurities of Dylan.

"It's peaceful up here," I told her. "The wind and the fresh air. It's the closest I'll get to flying now, so maybe this is me trying to accept everything."

She breathed in, eyes watery. "It…It is nice up here."

I gave her a small smile and she wrapped her arms around me. We stayed like that until Iggy came up, telling us that lunch was ready.

* * *

The days dragged on. I was sleeping alone now, and Max and I barely said anything to each other. Every time I'd go to comfort her, she'd run off crying. Maybe she needs space, Iggy told me. A little time to let everything sink in.

At least for the others, things carried on. Cooking, cleaning, keeping everything in order. I did my best with what I could because the pain came and went. Iggy usually made me watch the oven and check on boiling water or if everything was cooked fully. The only thing that bothered me was how close Dylan was getting to Max, and I couldn't shake the feeling that he was taking advantage of the situation.

"Fang, you know, you and Iggy and Max are only seventeen." Angel must have been reading my thoughts. "Well, almost eighteen. But still, it's not the end of the world. Max still cares about you lot, even though she seems like she's pushing you away. Dylan might end up helping her cope, don't jump to conclusions so quickly. Nothing at this moment in time is permanent."

I slouched into the armchair. "I'm guessing you know something we don't know. And you're not going to tell us because you're afraid we're gonna change things if we knew?"

"Well, you can't change what's going to happen." She frowned. "But you're stressing yourself out and making the pain worse. Take in a deep breath. Be thankful Jeb hasn't come after us again."

"Well, Dylan's definitely screwed up whatever Jeb had planned. I mean, obviously," Iggy said. "And she's right, Fang. Relax."

Dylan emerged from the ladder that led to the roof. He ran his fingers through his hair, as if he were trying to charm the rest of us into staring at him.

"We're going to go out for dinner. Max says we'll leave in an hour," he told us.

Angel rose off the couch first, and then Iggy followed suit, calling for Nudge. I went shortly after them, not wanting to be left alone with Max. Mom had left us the minivan, which meant we'd all be cramming into the car, and I got the feeling that I wasn't going to be sitting next to Max.

* * *

**I was going to make this chapter longer, but I realized I mind as well put this up since by itself it can still be a chapter anyway. Thanks for reading and stay tuned! Once June rolls around, and summer is in full swing for me after finals, I will be updating more frequently.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wingless – Chapter 3**

By MyNameIsCAL

The pain was all in my head. And yet I let it get to me. I was letting it eat me up from inside out. Max had gone out grocery shopping with Dylan, insisting I sat behind to rest and that she would grab me some Advil.

"Here, have a cookie." Gazzy held out a container to me.

I took one reluctantly and sunk into the arm chair.

"You know, Dylan's not so bad." Gazzy ate a cookie thoughtfully.

"Max _loves_ you, Fang." Angel cut in quickly. "Dylan's just a little lost, still believing in the things Jeb told and promised him."

I took a small bite out of my cookie. They had all accepted him in already. I couldn't forget he had saved me though. It made me feel ungrateful.

_You should give him a chance_, Angel's voice cut through my thoughts. _We need him as leverage for Jeb_.

I said nothing in response, taking a larger bite out of my cookie. Unfortunately she was right. We _needed_ Dylan.

And still, I was relieved when they returned.

"How're you feeling?" Max gave me a hug. "I got your Advil."

"Okay, thanks."

"What's wrong?"

"Just…I don't know." I let out a breath.

"Let me unpack the groceries with Dylan and then we'll get some air, okay?"

I released her, watching her interact with Dylan. She was comfortable around him now, no longer fighting like they had been before when he first came around with Jeb. Maybe it made me jealous. Max and I only became friends because our situation forced us to. She could have kicked Dylan out, but she was _choosing_ to be nice to him.

And yet all that anger melted away when Max was by my side.

She held my hand as we walked along the bushes. In her other hand was a blanket, and she stopped in a shady area, spreading it out. We sat, staring out, the smog a little too thick to see the outskirts of the city.

"Mom said she'd get us a car," Max told me. "Maybe we can drive out to the city, you and me, and we can do something nice."

I lay back on the blanket, staring up at the clouds. "I'd like that."

She gave me a smile. "I thought you were feeling a little cooped up."

"I was," I admitted, pulling her down next to me. "Thanks."

She rested her hand against my cheek, lip quavering as her eyes met mine.

"Hey, what's the matter?" I rested my hand on top of hers. "Max…"

"You've been taking this a lot better than I have." She shook her head. "I…I feel like I've lost something too."

"Max…" I squeezed her hand. "I don't want you to suffer for me. I don't want to see you cry anymore. The only thing I want is for you to be happy."

"H-How can you just accept this all so easily?" She shut her eyes, face against my chest as I felt it had been over the past few days.

"Because I saved all of you. I told you, Max. We're alive and we're together." I drew my arm around her. "I can deal with the pain, I can deal without being able to fly because I have you, and the rest of the flock, to keep me going."

"I know…"

"Shh…Max, it's okay." I rubbed her back between her wings, my chin resting on her shoulder.

"I promise not to cry anymore after this," she told me.

We stayed like that for a while until she pulled away, her hand slipping back into mine.

"Better now?" I asked, brushing the hair out of her face.

"How bad is the pain?"

I let out a sigh. "It's alright. I don't want you to worry about me though."

"I-I know…" And then she leaned forward and kissed me.

The pain seemed nonexistent for a moment. I pushed myself on top of her, feeling her fingers through my hair. Whatever tension there had been between us was gone now, and I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in this moment. Max's ragged breathing edged me on, and I moved my mouth to her neck, her fingers gripping onto the back of my shirt.

Her hands danced around. Through my shirt, she traced the scars on my back, making me shiver. I slipped my hand under her shirt, my hand making its way up. And then her hands played with my buttons, urging me, driving me…

Suddenly I felt myself get yanked up off of the grown. The pain rushed back to me as I skidded across rocks and sand, my shirt half unbuttoned.

Dylan stood in front of me, his wings spread out. "What the hell are you thinking?"

"What the hell are you doing?" I snapped.

He snarled at me and I staggered to my feet, but before I could counter, Max's voice came through.

"You followed us here, Dylan?" Max frowned.

"I would hurt you like that, Max." Dylan turned to her. "He's not thinking straight, not after all he's been through."

"That doesn't change the fact that you stalked us here!" Max threw up her hands. "We're not stupid, Dylan!"

He grabbed her by the hand. "C'mon, Max, let's go home."

Dylan started to take off, dragging Max into the air. They disappeared in the distance.

I sat back down on the blanket, expecting Max to return, but she didn't. The sun was starting to go down already, and if it weren't for the pain in my back, I would have already started walking home.

"Fang, c'mon, if we start walking now, we'll make it back for dinner."

I looked up to see Angel standing over me.

"She's sorry, by the way, but she doesn't want to upset Dylan," she told me. "Dylan sincerely believes he's meant for Max, and so the only reason he's got anything against you is because you stand in his way. Besides, that's why he was created. I know you're upset and you're jealous, but Max knows he's not you. To be honest, I don't think they'll work out anyway. He doesn't really know what he's getting himself into."

I wanted to punch something. This was all my fault. If I hadn't gotten carried away, Max wouldn't have to put up with Dylan.

"You have to play fair even if he's not. Max will see through it all eventually." Angel patted my arm. "C'mon, I can smell Iggy's cooking from here."

* * *

**Alright, this has probably been a long awaited update. Thanks for reading everyone! More as soon as I can. Been very busy.**

**}MyNameIsCAL{**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wingless - Chapter 4**

By MyNameIsCAL

**I'm pretty sure I've been wrong all these years, that their house in the mountains that's shaped like an E is in some mountainous/canyon area in Colorado. Although it's very subtle when Mr. Patterson tells us this. I always thought they were in some mountainous/canyon part of California. But uhm, if you know for sure whether it's Colorado or California, leave a comment or message me please? **

**Either way, I shall continue on as is anyway. No one who's read any of my fics so far has noticed anyway. **

Max and I only spoke briefly over the next few days, and usually it was her asking how my back was. I always lied and said it was starting to feel better, but the truth was that I felt like it was just getting worse.

Tonight we were going out to dinner. Dylan made a reservation at some nice restaurant, so we were supposed to dress up. For me, that meant pulling out a less wrinkled button down shirt and putting on a tie.

"Hey, c'mere you!"

I turned to see Max standing in the doorway of my room. She stepped in and took my tie from me before pushing up my collar.

"Hey, are you feelin' okay?" she asked as she started to tie my tie.

"I'm just…tired."

Max gave me a hug. "I better go before Dylan says something about me being in here. We're leaving in five."

I nodded and she was gone.

As an attempt to make me feel better, Max let me drive, but she sat in the back with Dylan. I tried not to let it show that I was annoyed. Actually, it really pissed me off.

"Deep breaths," Iggy said under his breath. "It'll be fine, Fang."

"My back hurts," I grumbled.

"Maybe I should drive home," Iggy sniggered.

I rolled my eyes. We had finally reached the rest of civilization. I realized the only reason we were driving was because I couldn't fly. Part of me was happy to get out, but a bigger part of me wanted to pull the car over and run for a while.

The only parking I could find was on the street. We walked a few blocks to the restaurant, but it was by the beach, and I had to admit it felt good to smell the ocean.

"We should walk on the beach after dinner." Max grabbed my hand, bringing me back to reality.

"That would be nice," I managed to respond.

"Is your back bothering you?' she frowned. "Mom says maybe I should take you to see a doctor."

"I don't think medication is going to help."

Max sat between Dylan and me during dinner. As I read the menu to Iggy, they carried on a comfortable sounding conversation. Iggy was telling me how he needed to try to cook seafood, and Nudge had made a face, but I was barely listening to them.

The waiter took our order, surprised that we ordered half of the appetizers available. I closed my eyes, trying to clear my head.

"Hey, relax, Fang." Max rested her hand on my back and I let out a breath, feeling less tense. "Really, what's bothering you?"

"I'll tell you later."

She let out a sigh, turning her attention back to Dylan.

It was fortunate the food was good though. Enough to distract me from Dylan's constant flirting, the way he could guess what she was saying, the way he looked at her. My back burned, and I loosened my tie, hoping more air would help.

"Max, I want to go to the mall!" Nudged whined.

"Well, I'm going to the beach with Fang. Dylan, why don't you go with them to the mall?" Max suggested.

Now Dylan looked angry. "Alright."

We paid and max pulled me towards the beach. Ever since Dylan interrupting us, we hadn't been alone since, and not that I wanted to be alone so we could continue. I really just wanted to talk to her, maybe straighten some things out.

It was dark and we moved down the beach, away from the group of teens and their bonfire. When we had finally gotten far enough, Max pulled me down onto the sand and we sat, staring up at the sky.

"I'm sorry I've made you feel like I've been spending more time around Dylan," said Max.

I turned on my side, putting my arm around her. "It's alright."

"I just wish Dylan would understand." She lifted her hand up and smoothed out my hair. "We're nineteen, almost twenty. We're not kids anymore. Hell, Fang, we're old enough to get married."

"Maybe you oughta tell him that," I replied.

"I know. But he only means well."

I winced as pain flared up in my back. Max put her hand on my arm now, and even in the dark I could see the concern on her face.

"Here, like down." She pushed my back onto the sand.

"It's nothing," I insisted.

"Don't lie to me."

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath.

"Fang…" She lay down next to me. "I hate seeing you in pain. I—"

"It's okay if you like Dylan," I heard myself say. "But you need to choose because I can't have you messing with my head. Not right now."

"She said nothing. Her silence drove a hole through my heart.

"Max…"

"This is hard for me too, Fang. I—"

"Dylan needs to learn to man up and stop thinking he can go around like Jeb's promises are still true. Dylan's winning you over, whether you've realized it or not. So don't lie to me either." I stared up at the sky, the stars not visible here near the city.

"But I don't love Dylan. Not the way I love you."

"Then prove it to me!" I tried to ignore the pain. "Because I need you more than ever and you're too worried trying to appease Dylan."

"Fang…"

"I need to know!"

"That's enough, Fang." Dylan landed in front of us.

"You stay out of this!" I got to my feet, taking a step towards him. "You think you can just come here and change everything!"

Yet he stood there calmly. "Isn't it obvious? She's chosen me."

I lost it after that. Pinning him on the sand, I began to through punches, but as the pain became unbearable, he managed to free himself. It took one kick to my back to knock me out.

* * *

It was Iggy and Gazzy who I woke to on the couch at home. Iggy was the one to notice fist that I was awake.

"You took a pretty hard blow." He sat down on a kitchen chair that he pulled up to the couch. "Max is upset, but Angel says you just…need to be patient."

My vision was still fuzzy. "What if he asks her to marry him?"

"Who, Dylan?" Iggy snorted. "Fang, we're not going to let that happen. But you can't be jumping to the worst case scenario yet! Jeez, Fang, I know you're all serious about her and everything—"

"He is too," I cut him off.

"Don't try to sit up. You'll only hurt yourself," he sighed. "Stop worrying about Dylan. Gazzy and I promise we'll kill him before he can marry Max, alright?"

I shut my eyes, hoping I'd open them to a world that Dylan didn't exist in.

* * *

**Stay tuned for more! I'm trying to work on a lot of stuff, but I'll try to get some more updates. Thanks for reading and your patience!**


End file.
